Responsible Business Report 2012

RESPONSIBLE IS PROFITABLE

SuStainable iS SucceSSful

2012 was a transformational year in Callcredit’s journey towards responsibility and sustainability. I’m especially proud of our community engagement, where we launched two new schemes. Over a third of our Leeds employees volunteered in the community, and a growing number of our people were matched pound-for-pound on money they raised for their own charities.

Our recycling volumes tripled. We offered our staff a series of ways to embrace a healthier lifestyle. And we introduced minimum ethical standards for our suppliers to comply with.

We also became members of Business in the Community, who help businesses like ours understand their impact on the community and how best to actively engage. And we published our first ‘Responsible Callcredit’ Report.

This is our second Responsibility Report, and I’m delighted to reflect on our progress – both practically and culturally. We ‘do responsibility’ not just because it’s the right thing to do. We also do it because it’s good business sense.

We get great feedback from clients and employees that they like working with, and for, an organisation that treats all stakeholders with genuine respect. We’ve also saved money, driven innovation and improved risk management by thinking differently about our social and environmental impacts. Responsible truly is profitable.

Looking forward we are committed to deepening and broadening this journey. We will be embedding responsibility for economic, social and environmental sustainability into the business from the inside out.

You will see in this report that colleagues in our new Lithuanian operation are also undertaking a range of activities that complement the UK initiatives.

We’re also starting to go beyond simply reducing our negative impacts to actively increasing our positive value. For example we are beginning to use our business skills and resources to partner with local community organisations to help them deliver social value more effectively.

We’re also looking at how our products and services can help our clients do this, including helping with fuel poverty and financial literacy.

We understand that responsibility isn’t just about the present day. True responsibility is looking forward. Callcredit has a bright future, and we’re proud to help make that future bright for everyone.

“We do responsibility because it’s good business sense, good risk management”

John McAndrew Chief Executive Callcredit Information Group

Foreword from the Chief Executive

Our regulators, customers and the public require that our data is used and protected properly, and that our products and services strike a fair balance between commercial objectives and social, environmental and ethical issues.

Along with many in our industry we are members of Business in the Community (BITC), the industry standard for best practice in Responsible Business.

Together we help support communities, and in that process improve business. The aim is to build a genuinely sustainable economy, a resilient society, diverse workplaces and a more equitable future.

We follow BITC’s model around the choices we make that have a positive impact:

Our MarketplaceWe act with integrity to our consumers, clients, suppliers, investors and regulators.

Our WorkplaceWe look after our people’s needs, development, health and wellbeing.

Our CommunityWe put back into society, including our communities and charitable causes.

Our EnvironmentWe respect the natural world and make efforts to improve it.

Marketing Solutions and Grange Farm Primary School after a morning of litter picking and daffodil planting

Our reSpOnSibility

“Our vision is of a diverse, skilled and healthy workforce that actively volunteers in communities”.Adrian MitriChief Operations Officer

Aiste and Egle from Consumer Services head out to deliver some donated kitchen

equipment to the Kaunas Children’s Centre

HOw we dO buSineSS

Our StakeholdersWe’re often told that Callcredit represents a refreshing change as a business partner, supplier, client and employer.

Our journey of constant improvement is one of learning from experience. We shape this by consistent and balanced appreciation for our four stakeholder communities:

Our CustomersWe listen to our customers, giving them what they need now and in the future.

Our InvestorsWe focus on market and revenue growth, managing costs and growing profitability.

Our PeopleWe look after our people’s needs, development, health and wellbeing.

Our WorldWe respect the inter-dependence of the economy, society and environment.

Our Vision and MissionOur vision for the future is to add unique value by combining our ideas, capabilities and technologies to ‘Enable Smarter Decisions’ by others.

Our mission describes how we make this vision a reality:

“Callcredit Information Group unlocks value for businesses and consumers by transforming data into intelligence and insight, enabling transactions across multiple channels and markets”.

Our ValuesOur values sum up what we stand for. They are our consistent core principles that guide how we do business:

• Listening To our customers and people

• Integrity Being honest and transparent with

all stakeholders

• Delivering Doing what we promise

• Innovative Finding answers to customers’

new challenges

• Talent Find, retain and develop diverse talent

• Teamwork Better together than we are individually

Our Legal and Finance teams sport a selection of mo-tashes to promote awareness of men’s cancer risks

Our values guide how we deliver our vision and interact with our different stakeholders

Our marketplace

Credit SolutionsWe work with the private and public sectors to support responsible interactions with consumers. Our unique products assess ability to pay, detect fraud and verify identity. This helps our clients address conduct and financial   risk, and so support stability for everyone.

Marketing SolutionsWe help the retail, utilities and financial sectors better target services to their clients. These include socially and environmentally sustainable products, energy efficiency and renewables. These contribute to reductions in fuel poverty, pollution and the UK’s carbon footprint.

ConsumersNoddle, our Free For Life credit report facilitates financial literacy by helping consumers understand and manage their credit profile which impacts their ability to access products and services. Noddle can also help to protect them from ID theft and Fraud and is a service valued by the financially vulnerable through to the most sophisticated consumer.

Data SecurityWe have a duty of trust to hold all data in a secure environment. Our technical architecture is ‘state-of-the-art’, and our processes are certified to ISO27001, the best practice standard for Information Security.

Data Compliance Our Compliance teams work with our regulators and key industry bodies to understand what we need to do to meet our legislative, regulatory and code of practice requirements. We liaise with different parts of the business to ensure we use our data and services in ways that comply.

Supplier ResponsibilityOur suppliers are required to meet ethical standards in human and labour rights, and in protecting the environment. We operate fairly and have built strong partnerships, including with small businesses, which helps support local economies and communities.

“We have quickly established an open and honest relationship with Callcredit”.Sergio Irwin, Account Manager, Computacenter (UK) Ltd

“Data sharing is a key component of the industry’s commitment to responsible lending”.The UK Cards Association

Claire and Hayden from Client Management prep for a Service Review

Karen from our reception team connects a ‘consumer call’ from a member of the public

Our People We are committed to developing our people to reach their potential and enjoy rewarding careers with Callcredit. We provided 1,628 days of Learning & Development in 2012. We aim to communicate with each other clearly and work to complementary goals.

Each year we conduct an Employee Engagement Survey to listen to, and act on feedback from our people. Our 2012 survey results showed a positive shift in every section. For example 93% of employees like working at Callcredit.

All employees experience ‘The Callcredit Big Picture’ which educates on the past, present and future direction of the Group.

We have clear policies on Equal Opportunities, Dignity at Work, Whistle-blowing, Health and Safety and understand the value of having a diverse workforce. We also recognise the need for a healthy work/life balance, and there are flexible working arrangements in place to help support this.

Healthy Workplace We understand that people’s health and wellbeing has a direct effect on employee engagement and productivity. We have a lot of staff who want to cycle, walk and run to work. We support this with onsite showers, secure storage and events like Bike Week, and Walk to Work Week.

We also provide, from time to time, free fruit, and health and wellbeing workshops on subjects such as stress, posture and nutrition. Our systems are certified to OHSAS18001, the best practice standard for Health & Safety.

Social EventsEvery year we hold a series of events across our sites for all our employees to attend. These provide an opportunity to have fun together and a way to recognise our hard work and success.

Our different offices decide what they’d like to do. Summer BBQs and Christmas parties are usually popular choices.

“The investment Callcredit makes in my Learning & Development programme brings direct benefit to clients”. Sue Woods Head of Business Development, Key Accounts

“The massage de-stressed me and allowed me to focus more that afternoon”. Lauren McGillicuddy Account Manager

Our wOrkplace

Megan, Bex, Emma and Danielle get our Christmas 2012 party started

Dan from our Procurement team rests up after his morning commute

Community Partnering We understand that the best return on our community investment is by leveraging our business skills, contacts, and services.

In 2013 we are working in partnership with BARCA, a Leeds based charity that helps people overcome health and social issues.

We will be using our products and contacts to help address financial exclusion, our marketing services to improve fundraising and client outreach, and our technical experts to assist BARCA with their IT systems and databases.

Employee Volunteering In 2012 our people gave 1,460 hours of their time to deliver projects that directly benefit society and the environment.

Employees chose the community groups they would like to support. Projects included restoring children’s play areas, wildlife conservation, refurbishing a family support centre, and hosting events for the elderly.

In 2013 we will do more challenges that bring together different teams and offices. For example visitors to our Lithuania office will help those teams to refurbish a new home for the Kaunas Children’s Centre.

Charities Each year our offices choose a charity to support and we organise events to raise awareness and money. Our clients also get involved, for example 16 of them joined our 2012 London to Paris cycle challenge, raising £13,349 for Nottingham Nightstop.

We also match our employees for their own fundraising. In 2012 this resulted in £56,757 being donated to over forty charities.

Our 2013 charities are the British Heart Foundation and Kaunas Children’s Centre. In tandem with our clients we will be taking part in various BHF challenge events such as the Yorkshire Three Peaks and London to Brighton Trek.

“It was such a change from our normal day. It was hard work but the smiles from the children made it so worthwhile”.

Clare CrookManagement Accountant, and Team Leader for Finance’s day at Beeston Primary School

“All of us were happy as we knew that by doing this we were helping others. Even if it is a small thing, it made a difference”.

Aiste MitrikeviciuteConsumer Services Assistant

Our cOmmunity

Jenny from Marketing Solutions, with friends and daughters after the Race for Life for the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund

Our Analytics team gets set to clean up Barley Hill Playground in Garforth, Leeds

Our envirOnment

Systems Our systems are certified to ISO14001, the best practice standard for Environmental Management. Our ‘eco Senior Management Group’ oversees the programme and ensures initiatives are embedded within all operations.

We made considerable progress in 2012 to bring our different offices up to these standards, and integrate our Environmental and Health & Safety Systems.

Our 2013 objectives are to cut carbon, reduce waste and increase recycling.

Facilities and Travel In 2012 we replaced individual waste bins with shared recycling consoles. This tripled our recycling volumes and significantly reduced waste to landfill and incineration.

We also made good progress with reducing the carbon footprint of our car fleet, and in supporting sustainable commuting by our employees.

Green Tech Our technology refresh cycle selects hardware that is kinder to the earth in its use of energy and its manufacture.

Once ‘end of life’ we securely data-cleanse hardware, and donate it to a local community charity where it helps with education and social cohesion.

We’re also doing more with less by being smarter with how we design and consolidate our IT services and suppliers. We’re centralising more processing to our datacentres, which are powered using renewable electricity, and use award-winning technologies for energy efficiency.

In 2013 we will be rolling out Multi-Function Devices which will significantly reduce our print volumes. Our Working Smarter programme will also reduce paper use through automation and workflow.

We’re also increasing our use of new collaboration tools which will reduce the need for travel, and so save time, costs and environmental impact.

“Sharing best practice has been very helpful to improve our Environment and Health & Safety Programme”.Lis WestOffice Manager, Latitude Digital Marketing

“By innovating we’ve improved service, reduced costs, and stepped more lightly on our planet”.Ian BedfordGroup Information Services Director

Vaidas, Livija and Vitalija from our Lithuania team video conference with Stuart and Valerie in our Leeds office

Peter from Facilities shows how we tripled our recycling volumes

To find out more about Callcredit, please email:

info@callcreditgroup.co.uk call 0113 388 4300 or visit www.callcredit.co.uk

For more detailed information on the content of this document please contact:

Press and Media Enquiries:

Duncan Bowker - PR Manager DDI: +44 (0) 113 826 6700 T: +44 (0) 113 388 4300 Duncan.Bowker@callcreditgroup.com

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